Monday, February 14, 2011

Look at these two, aren't they cute!? My baby girl and her Auntie smooching. It warms my heart.

I used to hate Valentine's Day. When I was single it was a day to feel awkward and lonely. A day that felt like a mockery of your solitary situation. Also, a day to binge on ice cream or cookies to feel better about said singleness. One year in Provo a bunch of us had a girls' night where we got together and ate and celebrated our singleness/talked about boys all night. I remember distinctly a V-day in Hawaii my freshman year, my friend Katherine and I holed ourselves up in her room watching Friday, burning incense, eating Cheetos and Chips Ahoy chocolate chunk cookies. She had a long distance boyfriend, I had her, and we had a good time, we laughed and talked all night. Why are these nights so memorable? I think feeling loved is what the day is about, not necessarily romantically, but having someone who knows your heart, who spends time with you, and who loves you for you.

I do admit that I think Hallmark invented the holiday to make guys feel guilty about not being romantic and thus forcing them to buy marked up flowers, and jewelry, and giving them a deadline to do it by. Or maybe a teenaged girl invented the holiday to put her boyfriend on the spot about who he really likes. Remember the candy grams? The girls carrying roses and balloons around at high school? Remember getting awkward gifts from guys you weren't really into? Or having an expectation and then being let down? And now, am I the only woman who grumbles if my husband spends twice as much on a bouquet that Hallmark told them to buy when it could be five times as meaningful and a fraction of the cost on any other day? Also, teddy bears. What grown woman wants a teddy bear!? The commercialism of it all is too much.

At our house this day is usually celebrated with a heart-shaped pepperoni pizza and some pop. Are we classy. Absolutely. I will say though that tonight I think it'll be lasagna, we had pizza on Friday. I usually buy a few things for the kids and we look through their valentines from school together. We make sure that the little guys know they are loved, and Brett and I give each other a cheesy card. Will I perhaps give him a foot rub and buy him a Super Big Gulp of Pepsi? Yeah. Because to us, that is what love is.